Metallic support for wood ties.



J. H. WBIDMAN. METALLIC SUPPORT FOR WOOD TIES' APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 1, 1810.

Patented Nov. 1, 1910.

Jim? {y JOHN H. WEIDMAN, 0F MARCELLUS, NEW YORK.

METALLIC SUPPORT FOR WOOD TIES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 1, 1910.

Application filed March 1, 1910. Serial No. 546,709.

T 0 all whom it may concern: I Be it known that I, J OHN I'I. WEIDMAN, resident of Marcellus, in the county of Onondaga, in the State of New York; have invented new and useful Improvements in Metal Supports for Wood Ties, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to certain improvements in tie supports adapted to be used more particularly as a support for the usual wood ties at the joints or meeting ends of rails.

The advantages of wood ties as a direct support for the rails in aflording a necessary degree .of resiliency is universally recognized but it isfound to be extremely difficultato maintain these ties at grade owing to theffact that the'lower longitudinal cornerssoon become worn or rounded by conw taint. with the ballast and the lower face he esconvex or Wedge shaped, thereby diting or spreading the underlying ballast out from under the tie and allowing the latter to sink. This makes it necessary to maintain a large force of workmen in tamping up and replacing ties particularly at the rail joints where the depressing strains are most excessive.

The primary object of my invention is to provide a transversely flaring lengthwise metal support for the ties, so that the flaring sides will gather in or compress the ballast under the tie, thereby producing an automatic tamping of such ballast under the ends of the ties and directly under the rails.

Another object is to leave one end of each support open so that it may readily cut its way through the ballast in forcing the support lengthwise under the tie and at the same time permitting the ballast to be worked or tamped through such opening unthe metal support by an end head to which a maul or sledge may be applied to drive the metal support lengthwise under the tie, the flaring sides operating to cut their way through the ballast during such operation. In other .words I have sought to provide a self-tamping metal support for the usual wooden tie without in any way interfering with the present method of construction.

Other objects and uses will be brought out in the following description.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a rail-Way showing the application of my improved metal tie support thereto. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view through the tie and its metal support. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of the track showing the metal supports in section. Figs. 4: and 5 are perspective views of the detached metal support.

In Figs. 1 and 2 I have shown the meeting ends of the rails -1 as resting upon an ordinary wood tie -2- which in turn is supported at its ends upon separate metallic supports -3- located directly under their respective rails.

Each metallic support is preferably made of sheet steel in the form of an inverted trough comprising a top portion 4. and downwardly diverging or flaring lengthwise sides -5 which are united at one end by a driving head 6, the opposite end of the trough like structure being open at --7 The top portion --lis of somewhat greater width than the transverse width of the tie and is provided with one or more raised ribs 7 pressed upwardly therefrom for the purpose of embedding themselves into the under side of the tie and thereby holding the tie and its metal support against relative lateral movement and at the same time permitting the metal support to be driven under or lengthwise of the grain of the tie.

In placing the metal support in operative position, its open end is inserted under one end of the tie and the entire support is then 'driven or forced lengthwise under such tie by the application of a maul or sledge to the end head -6-, whereby said head serves to compress the ballast between the sides -5 and under the top 4: during such operation while the downwardly flaring sides 5 operate to further compress or gather in the ballast to resist depression of the superstructure.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description that the mere operation of driving the metal support underneath the tie tends to elevate the wood tie and rails rest ing thereon owing to the fact that the end head 6- carries the ballast forward with it and compresses it toward the flaring sides 5-, thereby exerting an upward lift upon the entire structure. In some instances, however, the ballast directly under the tie may be removed sufliciently to permit the metal support to be readily placed thereunder, after which the ballast may betamped or worked within the metal support through the open end 7 or it may be worked under the lower edges of'the flaring sides 5, but under all conditions when the ballast is thoroughly tamped within and around the metal support tobring the rails up to grade, the flaring sides 5 operate to gather in and compress the ballast directly under the top 4 and tie 2 and thereby operate as self-tampers to more effectively resist depression of the rails.

The metal supports are relatively short as compared with the tie but are somewhat larger than the transverse width of the bases of their respective rails under which they are centrally positioned when in use.

The bases of the fiaringsides of the supports are spaced apart a distance considerably greater than the transverse width of the tie so as to embrace a broad area of ballast and cause the latter to become wedged or packed tightly within the support and against the under side of the top thereof to more effectively resist the depression of the ties under the superposed loads and strains.

What I claim is:

1. In combination with a wood tie and rails resting thereon, a metal tie support consisting of a trough like structure open at the bottom and provided with a top and downwardly flaring sides, the top portion engaging the under side of the wood tie and forming a rest therefor, and a raised rib on the top of the metal support adapted to embed itself in the tie to prevent relative lateral movement of the tie and its metal support.

2. In combination with a wood tie and rails resting thereon, a metal support resting against the under side of the tie and provided with downwardly flaring sides, said metal support being open at-the bottom and at one end and having its other end closed to form a driving head.

8. A support for wood ties consisting of separate metal plates arranged under the ends of the ties some distance apart, and provided with downwardly flaring sides, one end of each plate being open between the sides and the opposite end closed by a drivinp' head.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand on this th day of February 1910.

JOHN H. l/VEIDMAN. WVitnesses f H. E. CHASE, A. L. I-IUMPHREY. 

